Timeline: Northern Ireland power-sharing negotiations

Key events in the talks between the Democratic Unionist party and Sinn Féin over the devolution of policing and justice

First minister, Peter Robinson, front, and his deputy, Martin McGuinness, who argued publicly over the failure to secure a timetable for the transfer of policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

The summit at Hillsborough Castle was convened after two turbulent months that saw the Stormont executive plunged into crisis by the wrangle between the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) and Sinn Féin over the stalled devolution of policing and justice powers.

The political drama was played out against the backdrop of a series of personal revelations about high-profile figures in both parties.

Following are the key events in the efforts to forge a more stable future for Northern Ireland.

2009

7 December: Sinn Féin deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, warns of deep trouble for the power-sharing administration unless a date for devolving justice and policing is agreed by Christmas.

14 December: At a routine media conference McGuinness and DUP first minister, Peter Robinson, engage in a public spat over the failure to secure a timetable for the transfer.

18 December: Gerry Adams faces criticism for his handling of sex abuse allegations against his brother Liam when his estranged sibling's daughter and alleged victim Aine Tyrell goes public with the historic claims. The Sinn Féin president, who later reveals that his own father subjected family members to abuse, vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

28 December: The DUP announces that Iris Robinson – Strangford MP and wife of the first minister – is stepping down from public life because she is suffering from mental illness.

2010

6 January: Iris Robinson, 60, issues a statement admitting to an affair and revealing that she tried to commit suicide on the night her husband found out. Peter Robinson gives an emotional interview vowing to stand by his wife.

7 January: Iris Robinson's lover is revealed as 21-year-old Kirk McCambley (he was 19 at the time of the affair). A BBC documentary discloses that the politician obtained £50,000 from two wealthy developers to help McCambley set up a business, keeping £5,000 as a cut and failing to declare her financial interest in the matter. The Spotlight investigation implicates Peter Robinson, alleging that he did not alert the appropriate authorities to his wife's dealings when he became aware of them. The DUP leader refutes the claims.

On the same day, the senior DUP figure Lord Morrow says he does not envisage devolution in the lifetime of the current assembly (the next election is scheduled for 2011).

8 January: High-profile Catholic police officer Peadar Heffron is critically injured in a dissident republican car bomb attack near his home in Randalstown, County Antrim.

Peter Robinson vows to clear his name and commissions an independent lawyer to probe his conduct.

11 January: Peter Robinson steps down as first minister for six weeks to give him time to care for his wife. The DUP enterprise minister, Arlene Foster, takes over his duties. Remaining as DUP leader, Robinson makes clear that he will continue to be involved in devolution negotiations.

That night, DUP and Sinn Féin meet for the first meaningful talks of the new year.

12 January: Party representatives meet for further negotiations as hopes rise of a breakthrough.

While hardline DUP MP Gregory Campbell insists there is still not enough confidence in the unionist community for the transfer of policing powers, his party colleague and finance minister, Sammy Wilson, strikes a more positive note.

Adams says talks are at a "sensitive and serious" stage.

13-15 January: Negotiations continue, with both sides expressing hope that a deal can be achieved.

16 January: Peter Robinson briefs party colleagues on the progress of the talks.

19 January: After days of upbeat noises from the DUP and Sinn Féin, the first signs of trouble in the talks emerge. Despite rumours of tension around the negotiating table, the DUP environment minister, Edwin Poots, denies there has been a "wobble".

22 January: The Sinn Féin deputy president, Mary Lou McDonald, says the DUP is not yet ready to meet its commitments. But Peter Robinson insists his party is prepared to work through outstanding issues and expresses disappointment at Sinn Féin's claim that the latest round of talks is over.

25 January: The McGuinness and Robinson meeting at Stormont lasts less than an hour, breaking up without progress.

After holding talks at Downing Street, Gordon Brown and his Irish counterpart, Brian Cowen, announce that they are flying to Northern Ireland to meet the leaders, insisting that progress can be made.

26 January: A round-table meeting involving all the parties is chaired by the two prime ministers. Despite this sign of progress, a final solution is apparently no closer, with the issues of contentious parades still proving problematic.

27 January: The final plenary session involving the parties and prime ministers ends in acrimony, with Sinn Féin branding negotiations a dismal failure.

Brown and Cowen give the parties two days to find a resolution or they will publish their own joint proposals for moving the process forward.

29 January: The governments allow the deadline to pass amid hopes of progress. The marathon summit becomes the longest continuous round of talks in the history of the peace process.

30 January: After more than 100 hours of negotiations, both the DUP and Sinn Féin hint at a breakthrough. Both claim that significant progress has been made, prompting speculation that a deal could be close.

1 February: Peter Robinson is confronted with significant rebellion within his party when 14 DUP members of the legislative assembly (40%) vote against a proposed agreement in a secret ballot with the party's assembly group.

3 February: Peter Robinson resumes his position as first minister after claiming the first of a series of investigations into his involvement in his wife's financial affairs has cleared him of wrongdoing.

Secretary of state, Shaun Woodward, warns that a £800m financial package offered by the Treasury for policing and justice in the region will be withdrawn if devolution does not happen.

4 February: Sinn Féin claims negotiations are over and the basis for a deal now exists.

After final talks with the British government, the DUP calls another meeting of its assembly group at Stormont.

At 10 minutes to midnight, Peter Robinson emerges from the two-hour briefing to announce that his party colleagues have unanimously backed the agreement with Sinn Féin.